DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, AND THAT MAKES ME A SAD PANDA…

HOLLOWED SOUL

CHAPTER 1

Mitarashi Anko did not like having private meetings with the Hokage of Konohagakure. It tended to make her a bit nervous from time to time, and quite often they were over the stupidest things as well. It wasn't her fault that the enemy shinobi were so weak that she accidentally ended up slicing them into three pieces. How was she supposed to know the fire ninjutsu she used would have spread around like that? The mission was near a hot spring, was it really that bad to spend an extra day traveling back home?

Whatever the reason for the meeting, the former Sannin apprentice sighed as she trudged along the streets of the village. Her violet-purple hair seemed to shine a bit as the sun gleamed down into it. There was a light breeze in the air, one that would occasionally give a stronger gust, but keeping her hair in the usual, rather messy bun kept it from blowing around too much. She nibbled on the end of a stick, one that used to hold her favorite food, dango, while stuffing her hands into her long, tan colored trench coat. It billowed in the breeze, revealing a sight that would drive most men, and some women, mad with lust. A somewhat tight, fishnet body suit was clinging to her body as she walked. If one were to look closely, they would see… some assets to some degree, as Anko was one who did not have a body to be ashamed of. However, then they would have to face the wrath of Anko, and there were truly few who wanted to do that.

Off setting the suit, was a tan miniskirt, one just a few shades darker than her coat. After all, one wouldn't want to give it all away. Plus, despite what one might think, Anko did have some dignity about her. To finish off her attire, she donned the Konohagakure hitai-ate around her forehead. A pair of black shinobi sandals rested on her feet, with a pair of metal shin guards just over top of them.

Anko's chocolate-brown eyes looked about as she neared her destination, the Hokage's Tower. Occasionally, she would some of the villagers give her a strange glance. They may even appear to be whispering something or another. Anko was no idiot. After all, old habits die hard and Konoha was definitely no exception to the rule. Again, the woman sighed, and shot a glare straight over her shoulder at the two whispering villagers. They did not miss this, and quickly shut up, moving away from the woman.

"Morons…" Anko muttered to herself as she continued her walk.

Yes, these things were not new to Anko. She had built quite a reputation while she was away from the village for a short time during her childhood. Of course, when one is the apprentice to one who was once considered to be one of the most promising shinobi in the village, Orochimaru, then that was to be expected. Especially considering what all had occurred involving the snake Sannin. However, those were memories that Anko didn't feel like reliving at the moment, or ever if she could help it. Still, there were those times when they just popped in… and the only one who could truly understand and help was her good friend, Mr. Sake. At any rate, the girl decided to leave thoughts behind as she finally reached the tower from which the Sandaime conducted all of his business involved in running the village. The tower was located in the direct center of the village and wasn't hard to miss from anywhere, unless you were blind…

Anko pulled the dango stick out of her mouth, and flicked it into a nearby trashcan as she walked to the door. She gave a somewhat lazy wave to two shinobi of Jounin rank who were standing outside the doors, most likely serving as guards or something. Despite the fact that the Sandaime was probably still the most powerful shinobi in the village, it was still a job of other shinobi to keep him safe.

Anko looked about the lobby of the tower as she walked in. As usual, a receptionist was sitting behind a desk that led to the Sandaime's main office. She walked up to said desk, clearing her throat as she did so. The receptionist, a young woman of probably about twenty-seven or so, looked up, scoffing a bit at the sight of Anko. Anko decided, just for this once, to play the bigger person and let it go. Besides, no reason to add to the list of whatever she did wrong with a murder charge.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked, a slightly annoyed tone in her voice.

"Hai, I'm here to see Hokage-sama." Anko replied directly. "I should have a meeting with him."

The receptionist paused, and began to shuffle about her desk. It appeared that she was looking for something, which was quite possible since the desk was usually kept in such a mess. For a receptionist, she definitely was not one who was up to par with tidiness. The receptionist smiled weakly as she appeared to find what she was looking for, a clipboard. Attached to the board, was a sheet displaying the Hokage's schedule for the day. The woman seemed to look it over, flipping through the three or so pages carefully. Finally, the receptionist nodded and looked back up at Anko.

"Found you… However, the Hokage is in a council meeting for the moment, please take a seat over there and wait." the receptionist ordered.

Anko groaned and flopped herself on a couch in the lobby. She detested the council. To her, it was a bunch of stuck up, wrinkled bastards, all of which had lost touch with reality years ago. Of course, now the next thought entered her head… Was the council going to be in on this meeting that the Hokage summoned her for. Had she done something bad enough to garner their attention? Anko bit her lower lip a bit as she seemed to process several thoughts through her head. However in the end, she decided that there was nothing in particular she could think of. Anko sat up a bit on the couch, and reached into one of the pockets on her coat. She pulled out a small scrap of paper, and opened it up to read the contents to herself again. It was in fact, the letter the Hokage had sent her earlier requesting her presence. In fact, there was no reason as to why on the note. It was just stating for her to come talk to the man.

Time must have passed quickly, because the door to the Hokage's office opened. Anko snapped out of her thoughts as the members began to exit the room. The woman quickly hopped to her feet, and made her way back over to the reception desk once more. The receptionist gave her a nod, and allowed Anko to enter the Sandaime's room.

"Good day, Hokage-sama." Anko greeted as she walked into the room. It was the best greeting to use during times when you might be in trouble. "I trust you are having a pleasant day?"

"Hai, hai…" the old man chuckled. "Please, come in Anko. And there is no need to be so formal. You aren't in any trouble."

Anko smiled sheepishly, and made her way fully inside the office. She shut the door quietly behind her, and made her way to a chair that sat in the middle of the room. The Hokage gave her a gesture to take the seat, which she did promptly. It was quiet for a moment. The Hokage had decided to refill his pipe and relax a bit with a good smoke after his recent meeting with the council. Much like Anko, he too did not care for the group much, and they more often than not tended to test his nerves and patience. He inhaled the tobacco with a satisfied smile, and turned to the woman. He cleared his throat in the process.

"My apologies for the wait, Anko." the Sandaime began. "We all know how the council can be at… well… all the time."

"Hai." Anko replied.

"At any rate, the reason I've asked you to come here today is a rather unusual one." the Hokage explained. He paused as he took another puff of his pipe. He could see slight confusion in Anko's eyes, so he continued. "In a way, I've asked you here to undertake a mission of sorts."

"Mission? Gomen, Hokage-sama, but I'm afraid I don't quite understand what it is your asking me here." Anko explained. "What kind of a mission is this that you couldn't even go into the specifics in your summoning of me?"

She held up the note for the old man to see. He nodded, taking another puff of his pipe in the process. A small sigh escaped his lips.

"As I said, this is not a normal mission, Anko." the Hokage said. "In fact, it involves someone from within this very village… A child, no less."

"A child?" Anko asked.

"That's right." the Hokage answered. "But I guess I should start at the beginning. Tell me, do you know of the Kyuubi incident? That fateful night twelve years ago, that took the Yondaime from the mortal coil?"

Anko hesitated for a moment. It was not because she didn't know what truly happened. No, quite the opposite in fact. Unless you had recently moved to the village, or you were clueless idiot, then all of the adults knew just what happened. There was another version of the story though, which is what the children were taught. She decided that she would give a brief rundown of both versions, just in case.

"The Yondaime was a true hero. When the nine-tailed fox demon known as Kyuubi attacked the village of Konohagakure, many brave and powerful shinobi laid their lives on the line to protect the village, their home, their friends and families. However, not all of them were capable of living… In fact many died in the battle. So, the Yondaime took it upon himself to vanquish the demon fox. However, Kyuubi was just to powerful to stop, or at least without a counter act. Unfortunately, the Yondaime was slain in the battle as well, dying like a true hero to protect the village, and all of its people." Anko quoted.

"Very good… But how about the truth?" the Sandaime asked quietly. "The version we adults know to be true."

"The adult version, the accurate, one-hundred percent, truthful version was a little different. It started off the same. The Kyuubi attacked the village, and many lost their lives in the process. However, the next part was where it differed. The Yondaime was still able to stop the Kyuubi. He didn't though, have a fight to the death. Though the Yondaime was strong, he knew that by his power alone he would not be able to defeat the Kyuubi. Instead, the Yondaime was forced to use a jutsu, a forbidden, suicidal jutsu, which cost his life right after using it. By sacrificing himself the Yondaime was able to not kill Kyuubi, but rather seal him." Anko explained.

"Correct…" the Sandaime answered. "Right into the body of a newborn child. I believe you know her as Uzumaki Naru?"

Anko gave a silent nod, and felt a shiver run up her spine. Yes, everyone in the village knew of her, in one way or another. A child who had a great burden placed on her, and lived a life of misery and hate, instead of care and love. The villagers knew of the Yondaime's brave sacrifice, however that didn't stop them from hating the vessel that now housed the Kyuubi. This girl… She could contain the fox forever. But that would not bring back their friends. It wouldn't bring back the family they lost, or anything else for that matter. And, despite how the Sandaime tried his best to explain it all to them, the people of Konohagakure just couldn't understand.

Naru was not a hero to them. She was not a container for the demon fox. To them, Naru was the Kyuubi. There was no denial in this. The villagers couldn't stand it when they learned of this. They wanted the child dead. Killing Naru would kill the fox. Killing the fox would avenge their loss. Anyway they tried to replay the thought in their head, it came out the exact same. So, in order to keep the child safe, the Sandaime enforced a law. It was one that forbid the discussion of what truly happened the night of the Kyuubi incident. It was now law, which no one other than their generation was allowed to know. And to make sure this happened, the Sandaime promised that if word got out, that should something happen to Naru, the ANBU rank of shinobi would find out, and be dispatched to take care of the problem.

Unfortunately, not all, if truly anything was sunshine and roses from then on. There were other ways to damage the container of the Kyuubi, besides physically. (Though truth be told, it was still done that way more than once.) There were ways to harm her emotionally and mentally. The adults would eventually become parents, and as parents they would warn their children about Naru.

Don't talk to her, she's too stupid to understand.

She's a monster, and talking to her will make you one too.

Don't play with her, there's something wrong with her.

She's a bully. She'll trick you, and then hurt you.

Simple words, but when drilled into the head of a smile child enough… Well it's obvious to see the results. Anko had seen them first hand… After all, she was used to the same things. Granted, she was older when they occurred, and therefore probably able to over come them. Naru though… She grew up hearing those words. Hearing adults and children alike tell her those things.

"Hokage-sama, with all due respect… I don't think I was called here for a history lesson." Anko mused.

The whole thought of Naru… She found it to be quite depressing, and would rather move on quickly to a new topic. Or at the very least find out the true reason for her being called here today. The Hokage gave a silent nod, and took a deep puff of his pipe.

"Hai, you are correct… There is another reason I have called you here." the Sandaime responded. His eyes lowered down to a crystal ball that was sitting in the middle of his desk. Slowly, he rose his hands over it and began to move them about the ball. "There is something I would like for you to see, Anko. Would you mind looking a bit closer?"

Anko hesitated for a moment, but not for long. She rose out of her seat and made her way to the desk. She gazed down at the ball on the desk. Her eyes narrowed cautiously as an image slowly started to become present in it. It appeared to be a classroom setting. It was one that Anko recognized immediately as a classroom within the Shinobi Academy within the village. It was empty for the time being, something to be expected since it was still about an hour or so before classes for the day would start. However, as Anko's eyes scouted the room over, she found that it wasn't so empty after all.

A girl was sitting in the back of the class, towards the left corner. Her skin complexion was a bit pale, almost looking as if she rarely went out into the sun. Her hair, though long and pulled back into a ponytail that went down to the middle of her back, was a light blonde color. In fact, it was seemed to be faded, almost giving off a white tint if Anko didn't look at it in the right light. The girl wore rather dark clothing. She wore a sleeveless, black shirt, which came to just above her navel. On her hands were a pair of black, fingerless gloves. A pair of black, baggy shorts were on her legs. They extended to just above her knees. Her outfit was completed with a pair of black, shinobi sandals resting on her feet. She had bandages wrapped around her arms from her wrists up to her elbows, and a leather choker around her neck. However, the most distinguishing feature on her was not clothing… Nor was it the pale skin or hair. Rather, it was the faint, whisker-like marks on her cheeks. Anko's eyes widened a bit as it came to her.

"This is?" she began to ask.

"Hai, Uzumaki Naru…" the Sandaime finished for her.

"But, what is she doing there? Well, what's she doing there so early?" Anko pressed on. It wasn't so much that the girl was there. It was a common ambition of most children in the village to actually want to be a shinobi. "Most kids would be just now getting ready for classes, wouldn't they?"

"Most would…" the Sandaime replied. He took a small puff off his pipe and continued. "However, Naru isn't like most… She didn't want to even enter the academy in the first place."

"Nani? Then why is she there?" Anko asked in confusion.

"I thought that maybe it would help her." the Hokage admitted. "Perhaps if she was able to interact in a place where the parents weren't always there to influence the children…"

"It didn't work though, did it?" Anko asked.

"I'm afraid not…" the Sandaime answered. "The fears and such that the children's parents had driven into their minds had seemed to take a firm hold. They were either miserable to Naru… Or just avoided her completely."

"So, what did you do?" Anko asked. She looked up from the ball and into the Hokage's eyes. "Surely you didn't force her to stay there?"

"No." the Hokage assured her immediately. "I gave her the option of whether or not she wanted to stay or not. She chose to do so herself."

"But…" Anko protested. She didn't understand why Naru would to stay in a place that didn't accept her much better than the village… Maybe it was even worse. "Why would she want to stay there?"

"I'm not sure as to why…" the Sandaime mused. He removed his hat and rubbed the top of his forehead for a moment. A sigh escaped his lips in the process. "Maybe… It's better for her to be ignored, rather than face the hate of all of the village…"

Anko gave a silent nod back, and adjusted her eyes back to ball. She felt a slight twinge of familiarity when looking at Naru. It reminded her of the first few weeks when she first arrived in the village after her former sensei. Granted, Anko was able to over come it. Maybe it was because that it didn't start until she was older, more mature and able to deal with it. Or maybe it was because she had good times in her life before then… Naru though, she had to deal with the hate her entire life.

Anko watched the girl silently. Naru was currently reading a book. Her eyes never moving off the pages, very rarely did she even blink. Suddenly, a sound could be heard from within the class. The Hokage moved his hands around the ball, moving the scene from the girl, over to the door. It was none other than the teacher of the class, one Unimo Iruka.

He was a shinobi of Chuunin status. He had brown hair, which a bit long. He kept it pulled back into a small ponytail. He had a tan complexion, a sign that he probably spent a good amount of time outside when possible. He wore the standard attire of a shinobi of the village. It consisted of a navy blue jumpsuit and a green vest with the symbol of Konohagakure on the back in red. A pair of blue shinobi sandals rested on his feet, and his hitai-ate was tied around his forehead. A long, red scar stretched across the bridge of his nose.

He looked around the room, a slight look of surprise escaped his lips. Even though it was an almost daily thing, seeing Naru in the room before him was still weird to him. It may have been because there was no rational explanation about how she was even managing to get into the room before anyone else. That, and he had to admit the girl was quite strange…

"G-Good morning, Naru. I trust you're feeling well this morning?" Iruka greeted, as he walked towards his desk in the front of the room. He turned around to look at Naru. The said girl gave a silent, unmotivated nod, not even taking her eyes away from the book in her hands. He sighed at the sight, rubbing the back of his head. "The same as always…"

Anko watched on as time slowly moved on. Slowly, the other students began to pile into the classroom. She wasn't much surprised, not by what the Hokage had explained to her. Sure enough, not one student would make the effort to go sit by her. Most wouldn't even look at her either. It made Anko feel a bit sick to her stomach, and she felt a desire to go to that classroom and give them someone to avoid. However, that's when someone else caught her eye. A small girl, about the same height as Naru. Maybe she was even a hair or two shorter. She had pale skin, but unlike Naru's, it was more of a fair complexion. She wore a pair of navy-blue pants, with a rather baggy, gray jacket. The trim around the neck and wrists resembled white, fluffy material. To Anko's surprise, there was a clan symbol on the girl's jacket. It belonged to one of the most stuck up, and possibly snotty clans in the village, or at least that was her opinion of them. The clan she thought of this way, was in fact the Hyuuga. The girl had short, dark hair which gave off a blue tint of sorts. And, like all the Hyuuga, her eyes were pale and pupil-less. If one were to look closely, they would notice that they had a slight lavender tint to them.

"G-Good m-morning, Naru-chan. M-May I sit here?" the girl asked quietly.

Anko noticed she seemed a bit nervous, but it did not appear to be directed at Naru. Naru looked up from her book, and over to the seat beside of her. She then looked up to the Hyuuga, and nodded.

"Hai." she replied and then went right back to her book.

Anko was a bit surprised. She honestly didn't think that Naru could even talk for a moment. Even if it wasn't a full sentence, it was better than nothing.

"Hokage-sama, that girl… Who is she?" Anko asked, looking up at the old man. "I mean, I know she's a Hyuuga, but…"

"That would be Hyuuga Hinata, the heir to the main clan of the Hyuuga." the Sandaime answered. "She is the only student within the class that will even acknowledge Naru. Well, she acknowledges her as best she can. Hinata is a bit of a shy, and rather soft-spoken one. As you can see, even Naru can cause her to be a bit… nervous."

"Still… It's a surprise that it's a Hyuuga of all people…" Anko remarked.

"Indeed…" the Hokage agreed.

He slowly removed his hands from the crystal ball as Iruka was about to begin the class. The image slowly faded away, until it was gone completely. Anko slowly backed away from the ball, and looked up at the old man.

"Hokage-sama… Forgive my rudeness, but…" she began.

"I know. You are wondering just why I called you here, and showed you this, correct?" the Hokage asked. Anko gave a quick nod. Slowly, the Sandaime rose from his chair. He walked to a window in his office and looked out, gazing at the village that stretched out before him. "Tell me, Anko… Did Naru remind you of anyone?"

"I suppose…" Anko replied quietly. "She kind of reminded me of myself… During that first month or so when I returned from…"

"Hai, I know…" the Hokage answered. "She's alone, distant… Drifting further and further away from what it is to be a human. It's almost as if she's become nothing more than a doll of sorts. She used to laugh, smile… But slowly, over the years… It just went away."

"What about the Hyuuga girl?" Anko asked.

"She tries. I'm not really sure what motivates her to do so." the Sandaime replied. "But it doesn't seem to work. Naru… I think she is too far gone. At least, for her to be reached to by one person alone… This is where I want you to come in at."

"Me?" Anko replied. "Look, I don't mean to doubt you Hokage-sama… But I'm not the best person with kids…"

"That maybe, but I believe you both have more than one thing in common." the Sandaime replied. "You both know what is like to be alone. You know what is to be hated… To be despised by people who simply just don't understand, or choose not to. I think, that if anyone can reach her, or at least help Naru return to being a human… It's you."

"But what do you expect me to do, Hokage-sama?" Anko asked.

There was a moment of silence that passed between the two. The Hokage slowly turned around, taking his pipe from his mouth in the process. He looked Anko in the eyes and nodded.

"As you know… The Genin graduation exams are just around the corner." he began. "And… I think I would like for you to be a sensei for one of the squads this year. Naru's squad to be exact... That is, if she passes this year."

"Excuse me?" Anko asked. "I didn't think I could do that, I mean, I'm only a Tokubetsu Jounin… Isn't being a sensei for just Jounin rank only?"

"Normally…" the Hokage responded. "However, I am the Hokage. And I can make exceptions to this if I need to… And I believe this is one of those times."

"And the council was just willing to go along with this?" Anko asked.

A slight hint of disbelief was in her voice. She knew the council didn't much care for her either. It wasn't exactly a little-known fact.

"I didn't give them a choice. It is my choice on how the teams are formed." the Hokage explained, a slight smirk on his lips. "So Anko… What do you say?"

Anko hesitated for a moment. Slowly, her eyes drifted back over to the ball. Thoughts of Naru began to go through her head. She remembered what it was like. She remembered what it still was like. Someone young, fragile, like Naru, should not be expected to have been expected to deal with it… And it was obvious that damage had been done. Anko sighed, and gave a nod.

"Hai, I'll do it." Anko replied. "I know what it's like… I can't… I won't let it happen again. Another me…"

The Hokage only nodded in response. Words were not needed this time. He could tell by Anko's eyes that she was going to do whatever it took. However, even though it was his idea to this… The Hokage had to wonder if it was just maybe too late.